After the cherry blossom viewing ended, the company shifted back into high-frequency developnt mode.
The competition with Surii Electronics was far from over. Takayuki's first-party developnt teams were still able to launch at least one high-quality title every month, and with support from several exclusive third-party developers, the company had reached a state of deadlock with Surii Electronics.
On Hayakawa Ueto's side, the support of YOO's developnt studios and the growing strength of his own first-party teams ant that his ga lineup wasn't inferior to Takayuki's.
However, Surii Electronics clearly seed to be struggling more. Gastar Electronic Entertainnt, by contrast, was handling things with ease.
Surii's first-party teams had to push themselves to their limits just to compete with the gas Takayuki's team developed with relative effortlessness.
Takayuki himself was like a ticking ti bomb. Everyone knew he'd been working on a top-tier action-hunting ga for a while, and they all believed it would be a huge hit. So Surii Electronics never dared to relax.
And just like that, ti rolled into September.
Monster Hunter was released on schedule.
On launch day, long lines ford once again outside many ga stores in Tokyo.
...
...
Just the hype around Takayuki personally supervising the ga was enough to draw most players' attention.
Surii Electronics, after months of fierce competition with Gastar, wisely chose not to go head-to-head this month. Takayuki was just too terrifying to confront directly, especially on a ga he oversaw from start to finish.
Anyone who had tried that in the past had paid the price.
Surveys online showed Monster Hunter as the most anticipated ga of the month among players.
The ga boasted a fantastic action system and showcased the most polished graphics available on the GSL handheld, drawing in a flood of eager players.
However, in so forum posts, players who had tried the demo warned others: the ga was extrely difficult—unlike anything else currently on the market. So buyers were advised to be cautious—it might not be a ga for everyone.
Still, the warnings weren't enough to kill the hype.
Murakami Kazuo, a die-hard fan of Takayuki and a highly professional ga reviewer, gave the ga a 4.5-star rating, clearly indicating his admiration for it and his ability to handle its difficulty—further boosting players' confidence.
Monster Hunter sold over one million copies in its first week.
At this point, a million first-week sales was no longer surprising for Gastar Electronic Entertainnt.
If anything, it would have been newsworthy if a Takayuki-produced ga didn't hit a million in its first week.
This was the power built up from a decade of loyal fanbase growth.
However, the sales data itself was less than optimistic.
Based on first-week numbers, Day 1 alone sold over 500,000 units, Day 2 dropped to 300,000.
That ant the first two days accounted for 800,000 units sold.
But the following five days only added around 200,000—a steep drop.
For a top-selling title, a 500k Day 1 would typically project a 2 million first-week performance.
But Monster Hunter barely passed the 1 million mark—clearly not an ideal result.
"Looks like it's still too hard. Probably scared off a lot of people," Takayuki said as he examined the sales data. He imdiately understood the cause.
Monster Hunter was known for its difficulty, and from the beginning, it was never a ga for everyone.
Still, the series had always excelled in sparking enthusiasm for co-op play—and really took off when it moved to handhelds.
Since Takayuki's version was designed specifically for handheld, he'd expected it to be more accessible than the original.
And sales were definitely better than in his previous life—a million in week one for a debut title was no small feat.
But that was entirely due to his own brand value.
If a newcor had developed Monster Hunter, even 300,000 units sold would have been unlikely.
As a die-hard Takayuki fan, Tadenobu picked up Monster Hunter on day one. Having already played it extensively during the Carnival event, he adjusted quickly to the difficulty.
In fact, he found the release version easier than the demo.
The trio of female devs aiming to beco a powerhouse team in the industry—Aiko and her friends—also bought the ga.
The three of them, together with Tadenobu, ford a small hunting squad and squeezed in hunts between their study sessions.
But such setups were rare.
Most players who bought Monster Hunter were completely baffled.
"What kind of terrifying monster is this?!"
"Why is this wild boar boss so strong? It's just a first-stage mini-boss!"
"If the fire wyvern on the cover looks that badass, I don't even want to imagine how hard it is!"
Even in multiplayer, the high difficulty crushed players' morale.
Soon, complaint posts flooded the internet.
"Monster Hunter is way too hard! Why is it like this? How are we supposed to play this?"
"Help! How do you counter the wild boar boss's charge? It suddenly gets enraged and starts spamming attacks—it's impossible to beat!"
"Easy tip—use the light bowgun! Long-range cheese will roast that boar piggy, 100% effective!"
"Thank you so much! I finally beat it! But now how do I beat the giant bird boss? It's even worse than the boar!"
"Did God Himself make this ga? It's wrecking my soul. I had so much faith in Takayuki's gas, but now I just want to cry..."
"WARNING: Newbies, stay away! This ga is your nightmare. You'll regret buying it!"
"Selling Monster Hunter for 5000 yen, only played for one hour. Anyone interested?"
"I'll sell mine for 4900 yen. Any takers?"
"You bastard! Don't undercut the market!"
"4800 yen..."
"4700..."
"3..."
The internet—especially the official forums—were overrun with complaints.
Not just in the Monster Hunter section—every board had players venting about it. Like a wildfire, the backlash was spreading fast and couldn't be contained.
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